This invention relates generally to gluten-free food products. In particular, this invention is directed to potato-based food products tolerable by gluten-intolerant individuals.
Gluten is a protein commonly found in all foods that contain wheat (including spelt, triticale, and kamut), rye, barley, and possibly oats. In general, gluten is found in almost all grain, pasta, cereal, and the majority of processed foods.
Unfortunately, a large portion of the human population cannot tolerate gluten. One of the leading causes of the inability to tolerate gluten is a disease known as celiac disease. Celiac disease is a digestive disease that destroys the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Celiac disease is a common genetic disease in Europe and is also extremely widespread in the United States. About 1 in 250 people in Italy and 1 in 300 people in Ireland are afflicted with celiac disease. A recent study in which random blood samples from the Red Cross were tested suggests that as many as 1 in every 250 Americans may have celiac disease.
When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Specifically, tiny fingerlike protrusions, called villi, on the lining of the small intestine are lost. Normally, nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream through these villi. Without villi, a person becomes malnourishedxe2x80x94regardless of the quantity of the food eaten. Because the body""s own immune system causes the damage, celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disorder. However, it is also classified as a disease of malabsorption because nutrients are not absorbed. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
Symptoms of celiac disease may or may not occur solely in the digestive system. As a result, celiac disease is difficult to diagnose. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following: recurring abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, pale foul-smelling stool, unexplained anemia, gas, bone pain, behavior changes, muscle cramps, fatigue, delayed growth, failure to thrive in infants, pain in the joints, seizures, tingling numbness in the legs resulting from nerve damage, pale sores inside the mouth known as aphthus ulcers, painful skin rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis, tooth discoloration or loss of enamel, and missed menstrual periods.
Some people with celiac disease may be asymptomatic. The undamaged part of their small intestine is able to absorb enough nutrients to prevent symptoms. However, people without symptoms are still at risk for complications that can arise from celiac disease. These complications include cancers such as lymphoma and adenocarcinoma, osteoporosis, miscarriage and congenital malformation, short stature, and seizures.
No cure currently exists for celiac disease and no cure is expected in the near future. Unfortunately, the only treatment is to follow a gluten-free diet. However, the gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the intestine and this is unfortunately true for anyone with the disease including people who do not have noticeable symptoms. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all foods that contain wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Individuals following such a diet have an incredibly difficult time eating at restaurants, especially fast food restaurants. These people either do not go to restaurants or must avoid eating gluten-containing foods, especially breads, pastas, cereal, and processed foods. As such, a need exists for new gluten-free products. In particular, there is a need for gluten-free products that can be formed into the shape of traditional breads, pastas, rolls, or buns as such items are common table fare in modem dining, especially fast-food style dining. Such need is increasingly evident at restaurants, cafes and the like that serve the general public, many of whom must be exceptionally vigilant about ingesting gluten.
In certain embodiments, the present invention is directed to methods for making a potato-based food product tolerable by gluten-intolerant individuals. In one embodiment, a method according to the invention comprises the steps of: (a) heating a potato-based ingredient substantially free of gluten to a temperature of from about 130xc2x0 F. to about 260xc2x0 F. for sufficient time to allow said potato-based ingredient to be mashed; (b) mashing said potato-based ingredient for a sufficient amount of time for said ingredient to form a dough-like consistency; (c) shaping said composition into shaped pieces; and (d) heating said shaped pieces in an environment at a temperature of about 300xc2x0 F. to about 500xc2x0 F. for sufficient time to attain a potato-based food product having a hardened crust.
In a preferred embodiment, the potato-based ingredient to be heated in step (a) is a raw potato stock. Heating of the potato-based ingredient in step (a) may be by way of contacting the potato-based ingredient with steam or hot water.
In another embodiment, step (b) may further include the addition of a gluten-free non-potato-based ingredient during the stirring. Suitable gluten-free non-potato-based ingredients include, but are not limited to, water, milk, salt, seasoning, sour cream, cheese, butter, butter-substitute, cooking oil, or non-potato vegetable matter.
In certain embodiments, the shaped pieces formed during step (c) are shaped into sandwich buns which accommodate, for example, hamburgers, hotdogs or bratwurst. In yet another embodiment, the heating in step (d) is preferably accomplished by baking the shaped pieces for a sufficient amount of time until a hardened crust is formed on a surface of the piece thereby forming an easily handled potato-based food product.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a method for making a potato-based food product tolerable by gluten-intolerant individuals is provided that comprises the steps of: (a) mixing gluten-free ingredients, said gluten-free ingredients including a potato-based ingredient for a sufficient amount of time for said ingredients to form a dough-like composition; (b) shaping said dough-like composition into shaped pieces; and (c) heating said shaped pieces in an environment at a temperature of about 300xc2x0 F. to about 500xc2x0 F. for sufficient time to attain a potato-based food product having a hardened crust.
The potato-based ingredient may be selected from the group consisting of potato flakes, potato buds and cooked potato stock. The potato-based ingredient is preferably a cooked potato stock that was previously heated to a temperature of from about 130xc2x0 F. to about 260xc2x0 F. for sufficient time to allow said potato-based ingredient to be mashed.
The invention also encompasses potato-based food products tolerable by gluten-intolerant individuals and formed according to the methods described and claimed herein.
The present invention also includes methods of preparing a food article comprising a food filling and a potato-based food product. Such methods include the steps of placing the food filling on or at least partially in the potato-based food product wherein the potato-based food product is formed according to the methods described and claimed herein. As such, the food articles themselves are within the purview of the present invention.
The invention also encompasses packaged meals comprising at least a food article formed according to the methods described and claimed herein, including (i) packaged meals in ready-to-eat form appropriate for consumption by consumers without further preparation; or (ii) packaged meals in preserved form wherein the packaged meal is provided to consumers to be prepared at the consumer""s discretion.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after review of the specification, claims and drawings.